


Book Club

by Ignis_Sassentia



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Amicitia Family, Bookworm Gladio, Fluff, Gen, Gladio and Iris are adorable, brotherhood era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2020-01-07 10:51:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18409133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ignis_Sassentia/pseuds/Ignis_Sassentia
Summary: Originally my submission for the Honor and Duty zine. Gladio and Iris have a little book club.





	Book Club

If Gladio hadn’t been born to protect the future king, he would have been a librarian. At least, he liked to imagine that as he wandered the stacks of the Insomnian Royal Library, trailing his fingers along aged spines. He loved the library—the quiet, the smell of the books, the sheer feeling of _knowledge_ the building held. It was like connecting to ancient Lucis every time he stepped through the door.

Today, though, he wasn’t here just to browse and soak up the atmosphere. Today, he was looking for something specific.

Iris was old enough now to introduce her to his favorite book series—but he definitely wasn’t going to loan her his copies. They were already starting to fall apart, and she could be rough on paperbacks sometimes, if only because she liked to carry them everywhere the same way he did. Apparently bibliophilia ran in the family.

His boots clumped quietly in the silence as he walked toward the historical fiction section he knew so well. The section where he’d learned about his country’s past; about the history of the Shield’s duty; about all the little, fascinating things most people hadn’t even heard of. The section where he’d learned about himself, too, with furtive makeout sessions with his best friends—not that anyone besides Ignis and Noctis needed to know that.

Gladio turned to the left and down the aisle without even thinking about it, stopping automatically at the all-too-familiar shelf. He took a moment to scan the titles out of pure nostalgia before grabbing the first book in the series.

Clutching it against his chest as if it was one of the most precious artifacts in the Citadel, he padded back to the desk to check out.

There was something precious about walking home with the book, warm sunshine on his face, the knowledge that he had the rest of the day off training, and the anticipation of Iris’ excitement buzzing in his gut. With all the awful news from outside the Wall and how busy Dad had been lately, he knew this kind of lazy, bright afternoon was exactly what they both needed.

“Gladdy!” Iris proclaimed as he slipped into the house. She vaulted off the back of the couch and landed heavily on his back—an old, practiced routine they’d had since they were little. “Where’ve you been? You said you got off training an hour ago.”

Gladio laughed, set the book aside, and twisted to wrap his arms around her knees. In one smooth movement, he hauled her up over his head and tossed her playfully back onto the couch. Grinning idiotically, he descended on her with a barrage of tickles until she squealed for him to stop.

“Seriously,” she gasped as he straightened up to sit beside her, both of them struggling to catch their breath through the laughter, “Where have you been?”

“Stopped by the library. Got you something.” He grinned, reached over to grab the book off the side table, and presented it with a wide smile.

Iris gave him a strange look, but grabbed the tome and looked down at the cover. “ _The Silence of Knowledge_ book one? Isn’t this that series you were obsessed with a couple years ago?”

“Am still obsessed with,” Gladio corrected with a chuckle. He scooted closer and draped an arm over her shoulders. “Figured you’re old enough to handle the sexy bits now. How about another book club with your big bro?”

“You’ve already read it like a hundred times.” Iris rolled her eyes, but relaxed against him and cracked the book open anyway.

Gladio shrugged easily. “Sure. But not with you. And it’s about time for my annual re-read anyway.”

She laughed and elbowed him in the side. “Nerd.”

“You’re related to me,” he retorted, poking her in the arm in retaliation. “So, what do you say? Humor me this go-round?”

Iris scrunched up her nose and hummed thoughtfully. “Gee, I dunno. A book club with my brother sounds kind of lame.”

“You’re just saying that because it’s my turn to pick the book.” Gladio laughed and tickled her a little again. Of course, that earned him a solid, well-deserved smack to the shoulder.

The two of them had been holding these little “book clubs” together for a couple years now. Every few months, they’d switch off choosing a book to read together and discuss. It was a way to stay close with Gladio’s duties and Iris’ schoolwork increasing and their family dinners dwindling. And, Gladio had to admit, it had quickly become one of his favorite little traditions—though he was glad Iris was finally past the _Moogle Mystery_ chapter books. That had been a long few months.

“You whined the last time I picked.” Iris poked him hard. “Only fair I return the favor.”

“Yeah, yeah. You in or what?” Gladio pinned her against his side to prevent any more pokes, elbows, or smacks.

She huffed overdramatically, going limp against him. “ _Fine._ We can read your stupid Henruit. On one condition.”

“I’m not setting you up on a date with Noctis,” he said firmly.

“Gladdy!” Iris yelped, managing to smack his thigh despite being pinned. Her cheeks darkened, but she cleared her throat as professionally as she could. “That wasn’t what I was going to ask, anyway.”

“Oh, no?”

She shook her head against his shoulder.

“Then what was it?” Gladio shifted, releasing his sister back to the wild expanse of the rest of the couch.

Iris hesitated a moment, then shoved the book back at her brother. “You have to read it aloud. With the voices.”

Gladio blinked but accepted the novel. Iris had stopped asking him to read books aloud when she was eleven, preferring to read it herself “like a big girl.” But things had been better then. Maybe all the talk of the war coming to Insomnia and King Regis’ failing health was wearing on her more than they thought it was.

Letting the instinctive protectiveness well up inside him, Gladio smiled at her. “Sure thing, Moogle. Grab a snack and meet me upstairs in five.”

“Aye, aye, captain.” Giggling, she jumped off the couch and ran into the kitchen, calling for Jared’s help.

Gladio chuckled quietly and hauled himself up.

The Amicitia family library took up a good chunk of the main house’s upper floor, overlooking the central garden courtyard. It had always been one of Gladio’s favorite rooms in the house, and even more so when their father put together a little nook by the windows specifically for the children—complete with foam weapons to have pillow fights with, giant bean bags in their favorite colors, and plenty of fuzzy blankets. Gladio and Iris had fallen asleep while reading curled up together on the bean bags more than a couple times.

Now, Gladio flopped onto the biggest one and gathered Iris’ favorite blanket—a well-loved purple fleece with a Moogle riding a Chocobo on one side. If he was going to read to her like old times, he was going to do it right.

Iris joined him not long after with a plate of fruit and a bowl of sweetened cream cheese—their forbidden sweet snack when Dad was out of the house. She settled beside him, both of them sinking into the soft velour and snuggling together under the blanket.

After a few strawberries dipped in fake cheesecake filling each, Gladio opened the book.

Iris rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes as he started reading.

For a while, sucked into one of his favorite books with his sister snuggled up against him, Gladio could ignore the world slowly falling apart around them. He could indulge in the smell of old books and the fantasy of a world long ago instead of worrying about new threats to his prince’s life.

And sometimes, when he got particularly lucky, he could even imagine he was a librarian.


End file.
